![]() ![]() It is easy to become an addict, and as usual, the longer the indulgence is continued the more difficult it becomes to make a clean break and go back to a normal life." "I feel it is my duty to warn others.that they approach the oberserving of variable stars with the utmost caution. One notorious relationship worthy of mention transpired between the noted amateur astronomer Leslie Peltier and R Leonis. For a look at the longterm lightcurve, click here.Įvery observer undoubtedly has his or her favorite variable star(s), and perhaps even a special story to tell about the first encounter with the beacon of choice. ![]() With recorded data as early as 1903, the AAVSO has archived more than 55,000 observations of this star, which have been contributed by more than a thousand observers worldwide!Ī 10-year segment of the lightcurve for R Leonis from the AAVSO International Database based on 10-day means. At the end of April, 1783, it was ninth magnitude, and at the beginning of April 1784, of the tenth." (Merrill 1938). In February of 1782, it was of the sixth magnitude and visible to the naked eye. In the year 1780 when I first looked at it in a telescope I estimated it to be of the seventh magnitude, and it was then noticeably fainter than the neighboring star Mayer 419. This star.has exhibited very considerable variation in its apparent magnitude. "I take the liberty, sir, to comminicate with you several observations which I have made, in various years, of the 420th star in Mayer's Zodiacal Star Catalogue, which seems to me to be of some importance. Bode of the Berlin Observatory, Koch revealed his finding of R Leo's variability: The three other stars of this type known at the time were omicron Ceti (Mira), chi Cygni, and R Hydrae. R Leo was the fifth variable star, and fourth long period variable star to be discovered. The fascination with R Leo began with its discovery by J.A. Since its discovery over 200 years ago, it has become one of the most widely observed variable stars of its class, giving its sibling, Mira, some competition. With a change in brightness of several magnitudes and an average periodicity of 312 days, this star is categorized as belonging to the Mira-type class of long period variable stars. As such, R Leo is a favored candidate for new variable star observers and is even cited in the AAVSO list of Stars Easy to Observe. With a mean visual magnitude range of 5.8 to 10.0, this mighty star can easily be seen without the aid of any costly equipment. R Leonis boldly boasts to be one the brightest and easiest to observe variable stars in the sky. ![]()
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